Alaa Abdel Razek - Cairo
After months of skirmishes between festivals and the Syndicate of Musical Professions in Egypt, the Syndicate finally decided to legalize their conditions, and announced the creation of a "Popular Performance Division", so that its members would obtain an annual license to sing, as this would be the first recognition by the Syndicate that controls the granting of singing permits in Egypt.
However, according to the union statement, the members of the new division are obligated to leave by the union's listening committee, with the division’s member adhering to supervisory standards and procedural steps, which gives the union the right to control the content of songs, what the singer provides and the right to revoke the license from him.
The union statement appealed to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation - the official authority for monitoring the Egyptian media - to use its powers to prevent the appearance of any unauthorized work censored on Egyptian satellite channels.
Thank you, Minister of Culture, Enas Abdel Dayem, Mr. Head of Artistic Works, Dr. Khaled Abdel Galil, Professor Saif El-Agezy, Mr. Captain of Musicians Hany Shaker, and Mr. members of the Board of Directors of the Music Professions Syndicate and my brother and Sindy, Captain of Actors… https://t.co/BM9WeaRwru - Mai Kassab Mai Kassab (@maikassab) March 5, 2020 |
reactions
The union's decision sparked mixed reactions on the networking sites, as fans welcomed the move, which they considered a victory for festival singers and freedom of art, while others objected to their permission to sing as a codification of vulgarity and kitsch.
Mai Kassab, wife of festivals singer Oka, tweeted, thanking the Minister of Culture and members of the Syndicate of Musical Professions, describing what happened as a trial.
Technical critic Tariq Al-Shennawi said, "The union was ashamed in its statement of recognizing the name of" festivals ", as the statement described it in the name of popular performance. The union is very floundering and wants to make it have an iron fist and attack."
"Does the union have a role in preventing and confiscating, or creating a healthy atmosphere for art and its existence? The answer is to create a healthy atmosphere for artwork, and this is a role that the captain does not play at all," Shennawi said in press statements.
In turn, the former musician captain Mustafa Kamel described the decision as a waiver from the union, and added in press statements that every person who has a good voice has the right to sing and obtain the union's permission.
The Syndicate of Musical Professions decided to establish a "Division of Popular Performance" |
The songs of festivals and the voices of their performers should not be affiliated with the Musicians Syndicate or the artists should follow the Zabbalin Syndicate if they accept the Zabbalin accordingly. - Egypt Lover (@ alielturky10) March 5, 2020 |
On the other hand, the singers attacked the decision and considered it a legalization of descending art and spreading corruption in society, especially with the obscene words that attract young people.
Some believe that the union’s decision to establish the Popular Performance Division is a regression in its previous position by prohibiting dealing with festivals, and the subsequent festivals festivals challenged this decision with the exit of new songs that were broadcast on their platforms.
These developments come about three weeks after the Music Professions Syndicate decided to ban dealing with festivals, after a sensation by Hassan Shakoush and Omar Kamal, their famous song "Bint Al Jeeran" at the Cairo International Stadium during Valentine's Day, and the song included an abusive clip that was repeated by thousands of attendees.
Did the politics interfere?
What is noteworthy in the union's decision is that it came in conjunction with the release of festivals singer Hassan Shakoush, a song called "The Glory of the Eagle", broadcast by an Egyptian satellite channel affiliated with the regime, praising Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and attacking Egyptian opposition channels, which was considered by the pioneers of social networking an official recognition by the state of the popular singer. Hassan Shakush, and it was a way to force the union to recognize them.
Hassan Shakoush appeared in several television programs, attacking the Egyptian opposition channels, and Omar Kamal broadcast a video in which he disavowed the opposition’s talk of his crisis with the union or the state.
Moghradoun saw that the Egyptian authorities are investing the success of these songs in reaching large popular sectors, similar to what she did with the late popular singer Shaaban Abdel Rahim, most of his recent songs were in support of Sisi and attacking the opposition and its symbols.
It is clear that the songs of the festivals find strong support from the official authorities and the channels owned by the state apparatus .. Although they were banned by a decision from the Musicians Syndicate, these parties and their channels are promoting them strongly and in a pressive way ... Either Hani Shukr resigns or the union is canceled from the ground and the matter is left to the authorities .. - mageed moh. salem (@mageedsalem) March 5, 2020 |
Shakoush made the song of Shumukh Al-Nisr, who is the man in you - Utham (@youtham_zakaria) March 6, 2020 |
The important thing is that I did not know anything about it, but I only know its shape after the recent crisis |
During the previous years, festivals spread widely in the Egyptian streets, and moved from popular weddings, cafes and night clubs, to most classes of Egyptian society, and their stars became permanent guests on the variety programs in Egyptian satellite channels.
Sometimes the festival’s songs contain profanity or sexual hints, which raises questions about how the musicians ’union deals with these songs and their singers after codifying them. Will the festival’s songs be subject to the union’s control or is Egypt witnessing a new round of conflict between the two parties?